Leeds United look set to welcome back Robin Koch to the first-team in the coming weeks after Marcelo Bielsa confirmed he is set to feature for the under-23s.
The Whites have been without the German international since December and the lack of depth at the back has made an impact.
Coinciding with Diego Llorente’s injuries, Leeds have been forced into reshuffling the whole of the back four to accommodate for absentees.
With the Spaniard returning recently, there has been less pressure on the back four and players have managed to revert to their most natural positions.
Upon being ruled out with his knee injury, it was revealed that Koch had been dealing with this problem since the opening day.
It’s been a patient wait for him to rehabilitate following surgery but after updates of him being back in training in recent weeks, it looks like he’s set to step up his push for full fitness.
Ahead of the home clash against Chelsea, Marcelo Bielsa delivered this timely update on Koch being ready for the under-23s, where he said this (via Leeds Live): “We think he will. I would like to think so, but I don’t want to confirm and then it turns out to be an error.”
Gaetano Berardi featured in two under-23s fixtures before making his return to the matchday squad, so Koch could be on a similar schedule.
The international break should allow him to make a full recovery in time for the back end of March and April.
It’s massive to have him close to full fitness again, and gives us even more depth when the tricky fixtures in April roll around.
We’ve got both Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Sheffield United to play so we need to be firing on all cylinders and defending well to pick up enough points.
At the minute, there isn’t really a place for him in the starting lineup, considering Llorente looks like our best defender at the moment.
However, having that extra option is always important for when we inevitably get more injuries.